Page 34 of Caged

But, that’s for another day.

Alexei climbs out of the passenger’s side along with Jax when we pull in.

I snag him by the elbow before we get to the door. “Try not to draw attention to yourself. This place is in Reaper territory, and we’d be outgunned here.”

He gives me a grin wide enough to show his silver tooth. “I’m always in control.”

Just what I didn’t want to hear.

With a groan, I follow him into the cool interior.

Like every establishment in Vegas, slots are lined up and play those annoying bells and whistles to try and lure people in for a game.

Never had any luck with them.

“I think we should split up and start asking around.” Jax slips away before I can argue.

As I turn around to stop Alexei, I see he’s gone already.

Fuck.

It’s early enough the place isn’t crowded, but it’s full of smaller rooms and bars.

Why are so many of these shit holes like mazes?

The further in I go, the dimmer the lights and the louder the music.

A short waitress with flaming orange hair smiles up at me and tucks her serving tray against her belly which pushes her breasts higher.

She knows exactly what she’s doing.

“Hiya big guy. Can I get you anything?” She pulls back her black-painted lips to reveal a crooked smile.

“Yes. Have you seen this man?” Stiffly, I pull the grainy surveillance photo from my pocket and hand it to her.

Her eyes narrow and she pushes it back. “Are you a cop? You gotta tell me, ya know.”

I shake my head. “He’s a dangerous man.”

She shifts and her eyes flick to the back room. “If I did see him, it was a while ago. And he went thataway.” She jaunts her hip as she points into the next room.

Her gaze brazenly works its way up and down my body, and she focuses her stare on my crotch for longer than is necessary. “You just let me know if you can keep me safe after you find him, ‘kay?” Her jaw snaps, making her teeth click before she growls at me and walks away.

Feisty.

Hmm. I wish Melissa was.

Probably for the best she isn’t.

She’d be impossible to resist.

I enjoy the view, but all she talks about is cooking videos. It’s hard to be excited by that.

Pushing into the farthest areas, the music becomes disjointed. The lyrics don’t match the beat, but I know they’re the right words.

When I step into the lounge, my stomach drops.

Alexei stands on a blacked out stage with a microphone, struggling to keep up with the karaoke prompts on the screen in front of him.

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